India to provide long-term care residents with pneumonia vaccination

Older people are at an increased risk of acquiring vaccine preventable diseases such as pneumonia due to the weakening of the immune system as one ages. Despite high rates of child immunization, the importance of adult vaccination often goes unrecognized. Vaccination can help protect older people from pneumonia, which is a common cause of health issues such as heart attack and stroke.

For these reasons, India’s state government has decided to take action and form a pneumonia vaccination program for older people living in long-term care. The social welfare department has chosen to target long-term care homes, as the prevalence of pneumonia is high and air-borne infection is more common. Furthermore, the residents or caregivers are often unable to purchase the vaccine due to its high cost, at 3,800 Rs per vaccine shot. Over fifty long-term care homes in India will be targeted, along with nine other centres that work with older people.

A key focus of the International Federation on Ageing is improving adult vaccination uptake rates. If you would like to learn more about the importance of vaccines for at-risk groups such as older people, consider attending the IFA 14th Global Conference on Ageing, which includes discussion from experts on a life course approach to vaccination. Visit www.ifa2018.com for details.

For even more information on adult vaccination, connect with one of our IFA experts, such as Prof. Roman Prymula, who is involved in the clinical development of new vaccines.

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